Nakano tests new spec engine

Nakano tests new spec engine

Following their point-scoring finishes in Sunday's Czech Grand Prix, Kawasaki riders Shinya Nakano and Alex Hofmann were back out on track at the Brno circuit on Monday to continue the development of Kawasaki's Ninja ZX-RR MotoGP machine.

For Nakano, the aim of the test was to evaluate the latest version of Kawasaki's 990cc, inline four-cylinder Ninja ZX-RR engine. The japanese rider was looking to compare it during back-to-back tests with the bike that he took to twelfth place in Sunday's race.
With more revs and improved top end power from the revised engine, Nakano was able to match his lap times from the race, lapping the 5.4km Brno circuit with a best time of 1'59.6s.
"The latest engine is a definite improvement; I could feel straightaway that there was more top-end power," said Nakano. "The power also doesn't drop off as steeply at the top of the rev range, there's more over-rev, and this gives you more options on gear selection for some corners."
"I tried a shorter gear through some of the turns today that would not have been possible with the previous specification engine. We still have some development work to do, but the first signs are positive."
Kawasaki Racing Team technical co-ordinator Naoya Kaneko added: "Shinya's feedback on the latest version of our Ninja ZX-RR engine was very positive, which confirms that our development programme is moving in the right direction. Shinya will continue the engine evaluation on Tuesday using a slightly different exhaust system."